A temporary control room has been set up near the Savar bus
stand to provide information to the distraught families. “204 dead bodies have
been brought out till 4:33pm,” Savar Model Police Station Sub-Inspector Alam
said.

153 bodies have already been handed over to relatives, he
said.

Meanwhile, Dhaka District Administration formed a probe panel to
ascertain the cause of the collapse. Additional District Magistrate Monoj Kumar
Roy will head the panel. It has been asked to submit the report within 15
working days.

Meanwhile, site of the tragedy was teeming with crowd who
were frantically looking for their trapped relatives and friends.

The
rescue effort was however progressing in a slow pace in the absence of proper
equipments and trained manpower to handle such catastrophe.

Fire Service
and Civil Defence and Bangladesh Army were assisting rescue works. Locals have
also joined the operation.

In charge of the rescue operations Brig Gen
Siddiqul Alam of Bangladesh Army’s 9th infantry division, said rescue operation
would continue till all the debris are cleared.

Rescuers said it might
take two days to complete the operation.

The high-rise Rana Plaza caved
in on Wednesday morning. Locals said around 3,500 workers of the four garment
factories were working when the tragedy struck.

The building had showed
cracks on Tuesday. But the building owner, a leader of the ruling Awami League’s
youth wing, Sohel Rana had dismissed them as ‘nothing
serious’.

Industrial police had confirmed that owners had decided to
operate the factories housed in the building ignoring potential
danger.

Following the tragedy, Bangladesh government had declared
Thursday as national mourning day. The national flag was to be kept at half mast
throughout the day in all government, semi-government and autonomous
institutions.